LOC19:52
16:52 GMT
TOKYO, March 24 (KUNA) - China said Friday the US guided-missile destroyer USS Milius "illegally entered the territorial waters off Xisha Islands" earlier in the day without Chinese government's permission.
Beijing urged Washington to immediately stop such "provocative behaviors which undermine the peace and stability in the South China Sea."
"The troops of Chinese People's Liberation Army Southern Theater Command conducted tracking and monitoring in accordance with the law, and warned it off," Tan Kefei, spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense said in a statement.
Tan said such move of the US military has gravely violated China's sovereignty and security, as well as the international law, which is another irrefutable proof of its navigation hegemony and militarization of the South China Sea.
"We sternly demand the US side to immediately stop such provocative behaviors, otherwise it would take the serious consequences of every eventuality it caused," said the spokesperson, noting that the Chinese army will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard national sovereignty and security, as well as peace and stability in the South China Sea.
Xisha Islands, also known as Paracel Islands, are a group of small islands in the South China Sea that are also claimed by Vietnam. (end)
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